Airship



'June 8, 1937. v l s. -LYCHAIF'AS AIRSHIP Filedsept. 2e, i936 2sheets-sheet 1 WAV/AV BY gf 2 ATTOR EY Patented June 8, 1937 AIRSHIPSteven J. Chapas, Boston, Mass.

Application September 26, 1936, Serial No. 102,720

3 Claims.

This invention relates to airship construction.

One object of my invention is to strengthen an airship where the stressand strain is great in such a manner that should o-ne part or elementbreak or buckle, the other parts or elements will not be materiallyaffected, and will still provide the construction strength required ofthis type of airship. Another object is to provide continuous,reinforcing framework extending from end to end in the interior of anairship, thereby providing uniform strength throughout. A further objectis to provide the continuous, aforementioned strength and still keep theframework of the airship relatively light.

The foregoing and other objects which will appear as the nature of theinvention is better understood, may be accomplished by a construction,combination and arrangement of parts such as is disclosed by thedrawings and specification. The nature of the invention is such as torender it susceptible to various changes and modifications, and,therefore, I am not to be limited to said disclosure; but am entitled toall such changes therefrom as fall within the scope of my claims.

In the drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an airship, partly broken away to showthe interior central structure, the outer frame bracing rods beingomitted, and also the transverse girders.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,illustrating details of the interior structure.

Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the interior structure.

Figure 4 is a side elevation View of a modied form of the interiorstructure.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view, illustrating a portion of theinterior structure.

As illustrated, the airship, which is of the standard dirigible balloonshape, has the usual outer frame I consisting of longitudinal girders IIand transverse girders I2. Bracing rods I3 extend from the outer frameto the interior structure I4, which is centrally disposed within thehull of the airship and extends from one end to the other, taperinginwidth at its two ends, as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings, sothat the airship is reinforced its entire'length by this interiorstructure I 4. Said structure is continuous, and is so formed andreinforced that should one part break or buckle, the rest of it will beunaffected and will still provide more than the necessary reinforcementfor the airship.' Said bracing rods I3 may be increased in number toWhatever extent is necessary.

Said interior structure It consists of longitudinal girders I5,preferably made of channell iron, whichextend the length of the airship,and transverse girders It in the form of polygonal frames which extendaround said longitudinal girders I5, and which are preferably made insections and riveted together as at Il. Cross braces 20 are made fast byriveting or otherwise attached to said longitudinal girders I5,extending complet-ely across said interior structure I4. As illustratedin Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, said cross braces 20 extenddiagonally between a pair of oppositely located longitudinal girders I5.For instance, a said cross brace 20 runs from a top longitudinal girderI to aV bottom 1ongi tudinal girder I5, extending in a diagonaldirection, so that one end of a said cross brace 20 starts at one sideof and at a point spaced from a transverse girder It and ends at theother side of and spaced from the same transverse girder I6, passingcrosswise through and beyond the space enclosed by said transversegirder I6, as

best illustrated in Figures l and 3 of the drawings. This is thepreferred form of construction; but in Figure 4 I show a modificationwhere in said cross girders 20 extend diagonally from a point adjacentthe bottom of one transverse girder IE to a point adjacent the top ofthe one next to it. Likewise other cross braces 20 extend from onelongitudinal girder I5 to another which are located at different pointsaround said interior structure i4.

The number of longitudinal girders I5 making up the interior structure Iis shown as four in Figure 1 of the drawings; but this number may beincreased at will, depending upon the size of the interior structure Il,and I have indicated by dot and dash-lines in Figure 2 of the drawings aconstruction arrangement where more than four are used, in which eventthe bracing rods I3 are increased proportionately as shown.

What I claim is: k

1. An interior structure for an airship comprising a plurality oflongitudinal girders spaced apart, a plurality of transverse girdersspaced apart and attached to said longitudinal girders, and a pluralityof braces, each said brace eX- tending from one said longitudinal girderat a point spaced from the nearest said transverse girders across saidinterior structure to another said longitudinal girder, being attachedto said latter-mentioned longitudinal girder at a point spaced from thenearest said transverse girders.

2. An interior structure for an airship comprising a plurality oflongitudinal girders spaced apart, a plurality of transverse girdersspaced apart and attached to said longitudinal girders, and a pluralityof braces, each said brace extending frorn one said longitudinal girderat a point between and spaced from the nearest two said transversegirders diagonally across said interior structure to another saidlongitudinal girder, opposite the rstmentioned longitudinal girder,being attached to said latter-mentioned longitudinal girder at a pointspaced from and Y between one of said two transverse girders and a thirdtransverse girder.

3. An interior structure for an airship corn-

